- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 7 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason, according to the latest information in March 2024, the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government earns a salary of £170,000 to £174,999 per annum, while the Director-General for Health and Social Care earns a salary of £190,000 to £194,999, and whether it will publish all (a) memos, (b) documents and (c) internal reports that justify the award of a higher sum to a less senior civil servant.
Answer
Director General is a senior grade within the Senior Civil Service (SCS) and pay and terms and conditions of employment are reserved to the UK Government. The Director General for Health and Social Care’s salary remains within the overarching pay range set by Cabinet Office for Directors General, which has a ceiling as at 1 April 2023 of £208,100. The salary for the current Permanent Secretary was also set by Cabinet Office when they were appointed to the Scottish Government and was set to be cognisant of the salaries of other Permanent Secretaries across the UK.
The Director General for Health and Social Care’s salary reflects the fact she serves as both NHS Scotland’s Chief Executive and the Scottish Government’s Director-General Health and Social Care. As such the salary is set in relation to relevant market rates in Scotland and the wider UK, and at a level that ensures the role is attractive to candidates with relevant experience, particularly senior healthcare leaders in the NHS. The Senior Leadership Committee in the Cabinet Office, and the Civil Service Commission both approved the salary approach for this role.
It is not unusual both in the public and private sectors for there to be overlap between salaries and grades where salaries for individual roles need to be set to compete in a specialist market.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether any information held by NHS Highland in relation to the comparative uptake rates of childhood immunisation through the (a) GP practice-delivered and (b) NHS board-delivered vaccination service in Argyll and Bute, against illnesses such as pertussis (whooping cough), has been withheld from GPs practicing in the Highlands; if this is the case, for what reason; whether any information not provided to Highland GPs has been shared with the Scottish Government by NHS Highland, and, if so, on what dates any such information was shared.
Answer
NHS Highland was escalated to stage 2 of the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework for their vaccination services in late 2023 and since then Scottish Government officials have been engaging closely in an improvement and assurance process which includes the Board Chief Executive and Director of Public Health. As part of this process, the Scottish Government receives a wide range of management information from NHS Highland. The best available information on comparative uptake rates of childhood immunisation through GP practice-delivered and NHS board-delivered vaccination services in Argyll and Bute was shared by NHS Highland with the chair of the GP committee in Highland on 2 July.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the level of uptake for the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine has been in the (a) NHS Highland area and (b) rest of Scotland for each period for which information is available in each of the last three years.
Answer
Quarterly data for the percentage of children who have received their full primary course of the 6-in-1 vaccine, which protects children against pertussis, and other diseases, by 12 months and 24 months of age, is published by Public Health Scotland: Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - Quarter and year ending 31 March 2024 - Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland
This includes the national uptake and uptake for NHS Highland since June 2015.
Maternal pertussis immunisation is offered to pregnant women between 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. This provides protection to infants in the first weeks of their life, before they are offered vaccination as part of the Childhood Immunisation Schedule. Uptake data is held within the individual NHS Health Boards.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what level of uptake in the NHS Highland area for immunisation against pertussis (whooping cough), as a percentage of the total number to be immunised under the programme, is acceptable, and what the level of uptake has been in the NHS Highland area for each period for which records have been kept since March 2023.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects Health Boards to reach the World Health Organisation (WHO) target of 95% uptake of childhood vaccinations.
The most recent childhood data for NHS Highland, which includes quarterly data since 2015, is published by Public Health Scotland: Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - Quarter and year ending 31 March 2024 - Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland
The trend data for NHS Highland shows that as of March 2024, the uptake rate of children who have received the 3-dose full primary course of the 6-in-1 vaccine by 12 months of age is 90.2% and by 24 months of age it is 94.4%. Since March 2023 this shows a decline of 3.2% uptake by 12 months of age and an increase of 0.4% uptake by 24 months of age.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's recent announcement of plans for an additional 300 planning officers, what action it will take to assist boosting planning capacity in Scotland through (a) ensuring there are more officers and (b) removing from local authorities any burden of work caused by the short-term let regulations.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to boosting planning capacity across Scotland. Through our Investing In Planning Consultation earlier this year, we proposed a series of practical options, including the potential for a planning hub to support authorities to access skilled staff at short notice to help them to respond to pressures, alternative fee mechanisms to boost income and opportunities to get more people to consider planning as a career. We will announce the way ahead for our Investing in Planning proposals soon.
In the meantime, to strengthen the future pipeline of planners we are supporting 10 post graduate students, through grant funding, to study at Scottish planning schools this year . This bursary offer will be enhanced by helping to link students with internships and industry placements.
It remains the case that planning permission is required for any material change of use from any lawful planning use to a short-term let use, in addition to any licence required for the operation as a short term let. The licensing regime does not add any new planning requirement.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 19 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to fatal accident inquiries, how many cases the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has investigated in each of the last 10 years, and what the comparative figure was for each of the last 10 years in which the former unit for investigating deaths was in operation before it was replaced by the SFIU.
Answer
In relation to each of the last ten years, the number of deaths reported to the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has been as follows:
Financial Year | Deaths Reported |
2014-15 | 9,173 |
2015-16 | 9,579 |
2016-17 | 10,931 |
2017-18 | 10,865 |
2018-19 | 10,397 |
2019-20 | 10,921 |
2020-21 | 15,739 |
2021-22 | 15,377 |
2022-23 | 14,147 |
2023-24 | 13,218 |
The comparative figures of deaths reported to the Procurator Fiscal for each of the last ten years prior to the commencement of SFIU on 1 April 2012 are as follows:
Financial Year | Deaths Reported |
2002-03 | 14,508 |
2003-04 | 13,885 |
2004-05 | 13,786 |
2005-06 | 13,746 |
2006-07 | 13,572 |
2007-08 | 13,457 |
2008-09 | 13,608 |
2009-10 | 13,498 |
2010-11 | 13,112 |
2011-12 | 11,671 |
The extent of the investigation that requires to be carried out will depend on the particular circumstances of each death. A decision to conclude a death investigation may be able to be taken in the very early stages or after extensive enquiries have taken place. There are often legitimate reasons for prolonged enquiry before a decision on the conclusion of an investigation or the holding of an FAI can be taken, including the need to await the outcome of investigations by reporting agencies, to consider reports from other agencies or to instruct and receive expert opinion. It is not therefore possible to provide figures for every death investigation where the holding of an FAI has been in contemplation.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 19 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to fatal accident inquiries, how many people are currently employed in the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and what the comparative figure was for the former unit for investigating deaths that the SFIU replaced.
Answer
The Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) is one of a number of specialist units within COPFS which investigates deaths and may conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries. Current staffing figures are shown in the following table:
| | Legal & Case Preparer Staff | VIA (Victim Information & Advice) Staff | Administrative Staff | TOTAL |
Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) | 42 | 5 | 31 | 78 |
Health & Safety Investigation Unit (HSIU) | 25 | 4 | 5 | 34 |
Custody Deaths Unit (CDU) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
COVID Deaths Investigation Team (CDIT) | 50 | 20 | 17 | 87 |
Staffing levels in these units have increased in recent years to reflect the importance of this area of work.
Prior to the commencement of SFIU in April 2012, deaths were primarily reported to Procurators Fiscal who would carry out investigations alongside their other core function of the prosecution of crime. It is therefore not possible to provide comparative staffing figures.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S6F-03197 by Kate Forbes on 6 June 2024, in relation to the reported concerns expressed about delays in holding fatal accident inquiries, whether it will provide further details of the timing of any statement to the Parliament by the Law Officers.
Answer
The Solicitor General provided full and detailed answers in response to the questions asked of her regarding the system of fatal accident inquiries in Scotland. As the Solicitor General indicated, either she or the Lord Advocate would be willing to make a statement to Parliament should the need arise. No such statement is planned at the current time.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 12 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the application of the principles in the Scottish Public Finance Manual, what its position is on whether the reported estimated cost of £3.56 million for refurbishment to decarbonise the Procurator Fiscal’s Office in Elgin represents value for money, in light of the property being valued at £275,000 in March 2022.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 12 June 2024
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there are excessive delays in holding fatal accident inquiries.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024
